For Saturday's Rugby Championship Test against Argentina at the Mbombela Stadium in Nelspruit.
– The total Test caps in the starting lineup is 420, which consist of 153 caps in the backline and 267 among the forwards. The combined Test caps of those on the bench are 45. The average caps per player in the match squad is 20.
– Adriaan Strauss will be captaining the side for the fourth time in his 58th Test.
– The youngest player in the 23-man squad is Jesse Kriel (22 years and five months) while the oldest member is Bryan Habana (33 years and two months).
– The following players will play in their fourth consecutive match in the starting XV under Allister Coetzee: Lionel Mapoe, Damian de Allende, Faf de Klerk, Francois Louw, Eben Etzebeth, Adriaan Strauss and Beast Mtawarira.
– Bryan Habana needs one try to extend his own tournament career record to 20, which will equal 100 tournament career points. One try will also extend his own world record for the most Test tries as a wing to 65. He needs three appearances in this tournament to reach 50 tournament appearances.
– Eben Etzebeth will play in his 25th consecutive Test match.
– Francois Louw will play in his 20th Rugby Championship Test.
– Rugby Championship debuts: Ruan Combrinck, Faf de Klerk and Julian Redelinghuys. Also Steven Kitshoff, Jaco Kriel, Bongi Mbonambi and Rudy Paige, should they be used off the bench.
– Adriaan Strauss will be the 13th Springbok captain in the competition.
– South Africa and Argentina played their first Test in the Rugby Championship four years ago, almost to the day, on 18 August 2012. Saturday’s Test will be the eighth Rugby Championship match between the two countries. Of the previous seven, South Africa won five with one match drawn and a loss in Durban last year, the first-ever loss against Argentina since their first Test in 1993.
– It will be referee Glen Jackson’s fourth appearance as referee in Test matches involving South Africa. The Springboks were victorious in all three previous Tests where the New Zealander refereed.
Photo: Gallo Images
